BILL NUMBER: SCR 41	CHAPTERED  09/21/99

	RESOLUTION CHAPTER   130
	FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE   SEPTEMBER 21, 1999
	ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY   SEPTEMBER 8, 1999
	ADOPTED IN SENATE   AUGUST 31, 1999
	AMENDED IN SENATE   AUGUST 19, 1999

INTRODUCED BY   Senator Murray

                        JULY 1, 1999

   Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 41--Relative to a sister state
relationship with the Governorate of Cairo, Egypt.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SCR 41, Murray.   Sister state relationship:  Governorate of
Cairo, Egypt.
   This measure would, on behalf of the people of California, extend
an invitation to the people of the Governorate of Cairo, Egypt, to
join with California in a sister state relationship in order to
encourage and facilitate mutually beneficial social, economic,
educational, and cultural exchanges that would lead to an indelible
and lasting relationship between the residents of California and
Cairo.




   WHEREAS, Egypt is an important Arab ally for the United States,
being the first to support peace talks with Israel and continuing a
policy of shared interest in peaceful resolutions to international
disputes; and
   WHEREAS, Cairo is both the largest city in Africa and the highest
populated governorate in Egypt, and both the State of California and
the Governorate of Cairo serve as major commercial, industrial,
financial, educational, tourist, and entertainment centers of their
respective countries; and
   WHEREAS, In addition to being the commercial, industrial, and
financial center, Cairo is also the manufacturing and communications
center of Egypt.  Due to major reform policies, Cairo's economy is
rapidly growing with a 1998 gross domestic product estimated at
approximately $81.4 billion.  Cairo's thriving, emerging market would
promote mutually beneficial and stable trade with a sister state;
and
   WHEREAS, A sister state relationship would facilitate the exchange
of environmental knowledge, especially in the field of waste
management, an area in which Cairo was praised for its activities by
the 1994 United Nations Population Conference; and
   WHEREAS, Much like California, Cairo is a prestigious center of
higher learning, ranking second among the Egyptian governorates in
education.  Al-Azhar University, located in Cairo, is one of the
world's major centers of Islamic studies; and
   WHEREAS, Having a rich culture, Cairo's tourist attractions
include traditional Islamic sites, the Egyptian Museum, which
contains more than 1,700 pieces from the collection of the ancient
pharaoh Tutankhamen, the statue of the Great Sphinx, and the Pyramids
of Giza, which are the only surviving examples of the Seven Wonders.
  These attractions would enhance cultural exchanges between the two
regions; and
   WHEREAS, With a majority of the population working within the
agricultural sector, Cairo is the leading producer of textiles,
electronic products, automobiles, and dairy products in the nation,
sharing many similar industries with California; and
   WHEREAS, Both the State of California and the Governorate of Cairo
share diverse geographies.  Cairo has fertile farmland along the
famous Nile River and desert in the southeast regions.  Furthermore,
with Mediterranean climates, the two regions have two main seasons:
winter and summer and have periodic seismic activity; now, therefore,
be it
   Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly
thereof concurring, That the Legislature, on behalf of the people of
the State of California, hereby extends an invitation to the people
of the Governorate of Cairo, Egypt, to join with California in a
sister state relationship in order to encourage and facilitate
mutually beneficial, social, economic, educational, and cultural
exchanges that would lead to an indelible and lasting relationship
between the residents of California and Cairo; and be it further
   Resolved That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this
resolution to the Consul General of Egypt, to the Governorate of
Cairo, Egypt, to the Governor of California, and to each Senator and
Representative from California in the Congress of the United States.
